


Last one standing

by salt (orphan_account)



Series: Hungerstuck [4]
Category: Homestuck, Hunger Games - Fandom
Genre: Humanstuck, Hunger Games, Hungergamestuck, Hurt/Comfort, Sadstuck, Violence, hunger games and homestuck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-12-20
Updated: 2012-12-20
Packaged: 2017-11-21 16:50:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/599978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/salt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dave and Rose live in District 12 with their four younger siblings.<br/>Parents dead from a mine explosion, they are orphaned along with John and Jade who join their family. Everyone has a job, a duty to help keep their family alive.<br/>Roses' job is to protect the family.<br/>How far will she go to protect her brother?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Last one standing

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fic that I have started for a friend of mine.  
> It will be part of series so you can see the other districts point of views as well.  
> I hope you enjoy and stick around :)

 One swipe of the sword was enough to bring down the deer. Dave made sure to strike true so the animal didn't suffer, but he had mouths to feed. 

He had a family of five to care for. His older sister Rose at the age of 18, younger brother Dirk at age 12, and younger sister Roxy at age 9. His family had also taken in John and Jade, twins at the same age as himself. Their parents had died in the same mine explosion that Dave's had passed in. Everyone in the family helped out in their own special way. Rose knitted clothes for the family, Jade raised the two animals they owned. Bec, a white dog and a goat Roxy had named Herbert. John had a contagious positive attitude despite the fact he and his twin were orphaned, and with help from Rose, Dirk made puppets to sell in the market. Roxy liked to pick flowers and they did indeed brighten the shack of a home they lived in. 

District 12 wasn't the most comfortable place, but it was home. 

Dave himself was 16 years old. He was the eldest boy and liked to believe he took charge of the family, protecting them in anyway he could. He and Rose had both put their names in for tessarae, but this was Rose's last year and Dave knew that after this reaping, she would be safe. This was her last reaping and it didn't matter how many times her name was in there, she wouldn't get chosen. Dave only needed to make it two more years and he would be safe as well, along with John and Jade. 

  “Guess who's got dinner?” 

He shuffled through the door, sword stabbed into a tree back in the forest and a sacked deer hung over his shoulder. 

  “Yeees! I'm starved!” Roxy squealed, playing with what appeared to be a cloth arm. 

  “You always say that.” Dirk grabbed the unfinished puppet from her hand. 

Dave spotted Rose in the corner of the room, watching him at their younger siblings. Though a smile was on her lips, he could see the concern in her eyes. 

  “Hey sis, whats up?” He said, dropping the deer onto the table and walking to her.

Her gentle eyes rested on his.

  “The reaping is tomorrow...” was her soft reply. 

Dave reached out and took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

  “You'll be fine, it's your last year.”

  “Being the eldest isn't a blessing, Dave.” her voice was stern. “I'm given the burden of watching and waiting... Praying you will all escape death another year.” 

  “Come on Rose, No one in our family has ever been picked out at the reaping. And besides, have you seen us? Theres no way we couldn't win!”

  “This is Dirks first year.”

Dave pursed his lips, glancing back at his younger brother, who had slumped into a chair to sew the arm onto a particularly creepy looking puppet. 

  “He'll be fine. He's like me, I sure as shit wasn't scared my first time.” 

Rose gave a small smile. 

  “Thats a lie. You were clinging to Dad like they were going to kill you on the spot.”

Dave shrugged. 

  “I was just trying to keep Dad from shitting his own pants.”

Rose chuckled softly, before growing quiet again. Dave tried to catch her eye.

  “Hey... We'll be fine.”

She looked at him.

  “I can't let any of you go in there alone...”

Dave grabbed Rose's shoulders, his voice harsh.

  “We're not _going_ to Rose. We'll be fine.”

  “Dave?”

He glanced behind him at John, who was blinking a buck-toothed smile at him. 

  “Should we prepare dinner...? It's getting late.”

Dave stepped back from Rose, taking a deep breath. 

  “Right. Yeah, sure. You can help me clean the deer. Where's Jade?”

  “Outside with Bec I think!”

  “Alright, Dirk come help with dinner!”

The blond looked up from his puppet and huffed, obviously displeased with this request, but he hopped to his feet just the same, following Dave and John into the kitchen. 

Dave gave one look back to Rose, trying to look as reassuring as he could. Rose forced a smile and then leaned down to press a kiss to Roxy's forehead. 

  “Come on, lets go check on Jade.”

 

***

 

Reaping day. The day children, teens and parents all dread. 

And now, here stood the six of them. Roxy was too young to be entered, and had no one to stand with, so she was left amongst the crowd, whimpering in her baby pink cat-patterned dress as her family had to head to their separated groups. Jade wore a gray ankle-length skirt with a dog printed blouse, Rose wore a long elegant lavender colored dress, with a light scarf tied around her waist. The girls headed to their side to give their blood sample, before standing in rows in their age groups. 

Dave wore a pale gray suit inherited from his Father, where John and Dirk wore white dress shirts with dark pants. Though John smiled, the fear in his eyes was so evident, that Dirk was starting to catch it. The smaller boy, hesitantly reached up, grabbing one of Dave's hands. 

Dave glanced down at his younger brother and took a moment to pause, John stopping rigidly by his side. 

  “Come on little man, You'll be fine. Your name's only in there once. You'll be fine.”

  “W-whats that? What are they doing?” He was trying so hard to hide the shake in his voice. How dare they do this to his brother. 

  “They just take a bit of blood, it doesn't hurt. John and I will have to head off to our age-group, but you'll be fine. You just go sit with the other kids, okay?”

Dirk nodded shakily and Dave gave him a pat on the head.

  “It'll be over soon, and then we can head back home.”

This seemed to calm the boy slightly and they shuffled their way through the line, and after a quick pinch to the finger, they were shoved off to their sections. 

Soon enough, the lady from Capitol that was assigned to their District was strutting her way across the stage towards the mic. Her skin was painted pure white and she wore a Jade green dress that wrapped itself wildly around her body. Her bare arms were painted with smoke-like tattoos and her hair was a thick black with orange extensions, all curled up into a beehive shape. 

“Good day to you, District 12! Happy 74th Hunger games, and may the odds be ever, in your favor.”

Moments later the anthem started, and a movie was started on a screen, preaching about the destruction of district 13 and how the Hunger Games represent Panem's unity and blah blah blah. Dave _hated_ this women. Porrim something was her name. 

Once the movie was over, she approached the two bulbous spheres containing hundreds of slips of paper and spoke in an elegant voice.

  “Ladies first, as always.”

Dave watched as she reached into the sphere, and he felt John tense up. 

She pulled out a slip of paper and carefully unfolded it.

  “Jane Crocker.”

Dave let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. Though he shouldn't be relieved. That was his brother's friend's sister. 

There was silence before a stocky girl with a shock of black hair slowly moved from the crowd. 

  “No- No- Jane- No Jane no Please No!!” 

There he was, only 12 years old and he was pushing past the crowd and running after his sister. 

Dave couldn't bear to watch as Jake was held back and Jane was guided up to the stage, it was easy to see the tears streaming down her cheeks when he gave a glance. 

  “Very good, very good. Now, for the boys!” Porrim walked to the second sphere.

Dave and John locked hands. They did every year. For good luck. 

She reached into the sphere and pulled out a slip of paper. 

_Please not Dirk, Please not Dirk anyone but Dirk..._

The air was thick with suspense, Jane's gentle whimpers the only sound. 

  “Dave Strider.”

Dave felt as though the breath was knocked out of him. At the sound of his name, he heard Roxy let out a grief-ridden shriek.

He and John slowly looked at each other. The boys eyes were wide against his glasses, already they were glossing over. 

_Its me._

John looked as though he was trying to say something, but couldn't manage any words as Dave slowly unlocked his fingers from Johns, and moved forward through the crowd slowly. Everyone turned to look at him as he walked. It felt like his legs weren't his own, and that he was walking through molasses.

He slowly approached the stage, staring up at the strange lady when suddenly there was a scream.

  “Dave- Dave!! No- No this- Dave NO!” 

Dave didn't stop, he couldn't allow emotion to show on his face. Looking back to his family would only cause him pain.

  “I volunteer- I want to volunteer. I volunteer as tribute!” 

This was a female voice.

  “Oh, a volunteer! How interesting.” Porrim smiled.

It couldn't be.

Jane had fallen to her knees on stage. 

  “I volunteer.” The voice repeated shakily. 

Rose.

_Rose._

He had turned at this point and was staring at her. 

  “Rose _NO_. No Rose no _get back in there_ , Rose stop it.” 

He was yelling now.

The peace-keepers were starting to gather, trying to drag him back to the stage.

  “ROSE DON'T DO THIS.”

She had gathered herself and was calmly walking to the stage, not giving a second glance at Dave as she helped Jane down from the stage and took her place next to Porrim. 

Dave was thrown onstage by the Peace-keepers and held still then Rose spoke.

  “Dave. Stop it.”

He froze, just now noticing the tears in his eyes. 

She stared straight ahead, keeping her face calm and Dave quickly got to his feet, not even wiping his eyes, he stood next to Porrim.

  “Oh well, quite a bit of Drama here! Now,” Porrim walked to Rose and held the mic to her. “Now, miss... What is your name?”

  “Rose. Rose Lalonde.” 

  “Well, miss Lalonde, I'll bet his boy here is your boyfriend?”

Oh, so close.

Though the mistake was obvious to the rest of the district, Rose's features didn't change in the slightest.

  “I must correct you, Dave is my brother.”

Porrim was obviously caught of guard.

  “Oh. Oh well. Hm. Right, of course! I see the resemblance... Anyways....”

She quickly moved along, and took both Dave and Rose's hands and rose them into the air.

  “The tributes of the 74th annual Hunger Games! Let the games begin!”

And within minutes, they were whisked away into the darkness of the building behind them, left with only the sound of Roxy's screams as they disappeared. 

 


End file.
